Monday, March 26, 2007

Why doesn't it look like my stash got smaller????

Hello all!

Despite the fact that it was WAY too pretty a day to be inside, I did have a good turn out for "Stash Control" Round 1.

I spent Saturday pulling out boxes and bags of yarn and putting them out. At one point, I was so overwhelmed that I wanted to sit down and cry. By the end, when I would reach into the closet for a bag, I would chant: "Please don't be yarn, please don't be yarn!"

Once I started emptying containers and spreading it around the room, it didn't look so massive anymore. That felt better! While I was at it, I drug out all my back issues of magazines and several notebooks of patterns that I've purchased. I also got out most of my books.

I didn't pre-plan the layout, but in the end, the stuff that I cared most about was in the area around my knitting chair, and the further from my chair it was, the less I cared if I kept it. All of the sock yarn was together along one wall. I could just tell shoppers that the closer they got to my chair, the higher the price! Same with the books - if I liked it and wanted to keep it, I priced it higher than if I didn't care much about it anymore. I was asked about a few books that I liked more, and I priced them closer to 1/2 price, and I still have them!

I was almost as amazed by my magazine collection as I was by my yarn. I subscribed to Interweave Knits and Knitter's since 1999. I also had several years of Vogue Knitting and Cast-On, plus some other misc magazines. I pulled 2006 copies of the ones I subscribe to, but someone bought all of my Interweave, Knitters, and Vogue! I didn't really price them very high, because I hadn't had many of them out of the box in years - so why hang on to them?

This was a real effort for a pack-rat like me. I sold most of my Dale of Norway baby patterns, even a Debbie Bliss book! I love her books, but this one didn't have much I was interested in. I sold a couple of full bags of Rowan Fine Cotton Chenille, which is discontinued (but I had no idea what I wanted to do with it!) and a bag and a half of a yellow wool that I bought from Elann about 5 years ago. I'd used up most of the blue on a hat/scarf/mitten set for my niece about 5 years ago when she was in college. Now someone is going to turn the yellow into a baby blanket. I would have never thought of that.....

Lauren brought these FUN cupcakes!I loved seeing the knitting phrases and yarn brands - I myself had "Koigu." AND, when I was distracted with customers, she took a picture!! FLAGRANT violation of the rules. If I had known, I would have CHARGED HER MORE!! Fortunately, the picture doesn't show clear detail of just how much there is.

At the end of the day, I'm happy to have a little more space, a little less load, and more cash than I expected. What I don't understand is when I sit in my chair and survey the stash, why can't I see the difference??